On Tuesday September 23, 2025 Madrid for Refugees hosted a Movie Night featuring H’na Barra (Us, Outside) and launched the One Short course. The film was directed by Bahia Bencheikh El Fegoun who is from Algeria who uses the format of documentaries which allows her to address social and political issues.
The film follows a female protagonist, Manel, as she reflects on her personal journey with the use of the veil, her body, and the way that women are perceived in public spaces. She meets with various women who share their experiences and offer a space for her to contemplate womanhood in Algeria.
After the screening, many viewers were moved by the film and the nuanced approach when discussing the experiences of the women. For some viewers, they felt a connection to the women and a sense of sisterhood with them due to them identifying with their experiences of how women feel in public spaces as well as in relation to their bodies. Others were curious to learn how in the future these relationships could potentially change among individuals.
One Short is a free documentary filmmaking course that will run for six weeks starting in October at the MFR office and will be taught by Bahia Bencheikh El Fegoun. The course will meet twice a week with dates and times of the classes as determined by the beneficiaries availability. The classes will be taught in English. Priority will be given to anyone who is a refugee, asylum seeker, stateless, and a migrant in need of international protection and anyone who is at risk of social exclusion.
If you know of someone who might be interested in joining our One Short course, they can sign up here.
If you have questions about the course, contact Zahra: zahra@madridforrefugees.org.
